centímetros
/θentimetɾos/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for centimeters is centímetros.
Its standard abbreviation is cm.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is centímetro, which uses an accent on the i. The plural form centímetros is masculine, meaning any accompanying adjectives must also be masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/θentimetɾos/
Did you know?
- In technical Spanish documentation, the abbreviation cm never takes a period at the end, even at the end of a sentence, as it is a symbol rather than an abbreviation.
- While the word centímetros follows the metric system, many older generations in Latin America may still colloquially use 'pulgadas' (inches) or 'pies' (feet) in informal settings, despite the official use of 'centímetros'.
- The word centímetro is a 'calque', meaning it was constructed by translating the Latin components 'centum' (hundred) and 'metrum' (measure) directly into Spanish.
Examples in context
- Mido casi 180 centímetros.I am almost 180 centimeters tall.Tatoeba #1304882 by ildefonk, translation #255601 by CC
- Tiene cuatro centímetros de grueso.It is four centimeters thick.Tatoeba #2784031 by teskmon, translation #42823 by CK
- Él creció tres centímetros este año.He has grown three centimeters this year.Tatoeba #1021853 by hayastan, translation #296624 by CK
- ¿Cuántos centímetros mide este objeto?How many centimeters does this object measure?
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are measuring a piece of fabric.
- Daniel¿Cuántos centímetros necesitamos cortar?How many centimeters do we need to cut?
- ElenaCorta solo diez centímetros, Daniel.Cut only ten centimeters, Daniel.
- DanielEstá bien, ya tengo los diez centímetros.All right, I have the ten centimeters now.
- ElenaPerfecto, así es suficiente.Perfect, that is enough.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
